Fossil mystery solved: Ancient lizard-like species with fang-like tusks once roamed Australia

A surprising fossil that was accidentally uncovered by an Australian chicken farmer during the 1990s has finally been identified by scientists as a robust amphibian featuring tusks and distinctive "gnarly teeth." 

The fossil, dating back 240 million years, was stumbled upon by Mihail Mihailidis as he was cleaning a large sandstone slab originally intended for use as a garden retaining wall.

Presented to the Australian Museum in 1997, this remarkably well-preserved specimen has intrigued researchers who dedicated almost three decades to deciphering the creature it once belonged to. 

Lachlan Hart, a palaeontologist from the University of New South Wales, revealed that the mystery had been solved: the amphibian was a "stout" creature measuring around 1.2 meters (almost four feet) from snout to tail, bearing a resemblance to a fusion of a crocodile and a giant salamander.

Hart explained that the creature probably hunted freshwater fish, utilizing its "quite gnarly teeth" as well as a set of fang-like tusks located on the roof of its mouth. 

He pointed out the rarity of finding specimens with both the head and body intact, let alone the preservation of soft tissues, which made this discovery particularly exceptional.

The scientific name assigned to this creature is "Arenaerpeton supinatus," a term that researchers suggested roughly translates to "supine sand creeper." This amphibian belongs to a group of extinct animals referred to as "temnospondyls," which existed on Earth before the era of dinosaurs.

Researchers took X-ray images of the bulky fossil using a scanner typically employed by Australia's border force for cargo inspection. 

The fossil was originally unearthed in the mid-1990s near the coastal town of Umina Beach, approximately an hour's drive north of Sydney in New South Wales. 

The discovery garnered significant global attention, with Time Magazine even proposing that it could "enhance the narrative of human evolution."

Australian Museum paleontologist Matthew McCurry emphasized the significance of the find, labeling it as one of the most crucial fossils unearthed in New South Wales over the past three decades. 

He expressed excitement about formally documenting the find and highlighted its role in preserving Australia's fossil heritage.